Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Identity Theft in Borough Park

Assemblyman Dov
Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is warning people to be on the lookout for fraudulent bank
accounts, changes to their credit scores, and other indications of identity
theft after three community members recently fell victim to potential fraud.

The Federal Bureau
of Investigation contacted a number of Borough Park residents who have been
identified as potential victims of crimes after finding personal identifying information
of these residents in the hands of would-be criminals in New England. While the
identity theft investigation remains ongoing, the FBI’s Boston field office
advised the potential victims to follow through with all three major credit
bureaus, immediately close any fraudulent accounts that may have been opened,
and to file police reports. Assemblyman Hikind’s senior aides immediately went
into action working with the FBI and the credit bureaus to protect the
community members identified as potential victims.

“It’s not every day that someone gets a letter from the FBI,” said the
Assemblyman. “These people were frightened and rightly so. When they turned to
us for help in protecting themselves, my staff immediately followed up with the
Department of Justice and the credit bureaus to make certain these innocent
victims were protected.”

Assemblyman Hikind explained that victims can report complaints to the Federal
Trade Commission by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338). Constituents who have
been victims of identity theft should also contact the Assemblyman’s office.

“You don’t need to use the internet or even have a credit card to be a
potential victim of identity theft,” said the Assemblyman. “Thieves grow more
and more sophisticated and can obtain your personal information from a driver’s
license, bank account number, and many other ways. To best protect yourself,
it’s important to regularly monitor your bank and credit accounts and to
occasionally check your credit scores. If there’s anything unusual going on,
contact my office. My staff and I are here to help.”